Global Health

Females vs Males – Are our brains different?

We have all been a victim of common gender stereo types. How many times
have you heard phrases like: “men are rational and women are emotional”. We
have all fallen into this stereotypical cognitive bias which is so common ,
that it is hard to overcome it. The key question is: Do female and male brains
differ? And if they do, does it affect the way we process information and make
decisions?

Male and Female brains: A closer look.

At first sight male and female brains are very similar. Using the
naked eye, one can Even say they are identical. However, when we take a closer
look at the anatomy of the brain, some subtle differences can be seen. For
instance the gyri, which are the Ridges you can clearly see when you look at a
brain, differ in both genders. Females have greater gyrification in the frontal
and parietal lobes, which gives them an increased cortical surface as compared
to men.

The frontal cortex is an area responsible for much of the
decisions we make every day. The limbic system which is responsible for the
control of our emotions and mediates some types of learning also has anatomical
differences. One of the main players of the limbic system is the amygdala, the
area where emotions are actually generated and also is responsible for the
memory of those emotions. Interestingly and against the popular belief that
women are more emotional, in males this region of the brain is larger than in
women’s brains! Makes you wonder who the emotional ones are in the end.

Another interesting difference in the brains of men and women , is
that men have

nearly 6.5 times more gray matter than females do ,and that
females have about 10 times more white matter than males do. This hints that
throughout evolution we have created almost two different set of brains that
are equally intelligent,suggesting that we use different pathways to obtain a
similar result.

There are other anatomical differences, but the truth is that none
of these differences have been linked to considerable differences in male and
female behavior. If they are, I theorize that we must have other mechanisms
that activate to counteract those differences.

What can be done?

Men and women are treated differently from the moment they are
born, and these vast cultural differences make it very hard to explain gender
behavioral differences as being purely biological in nature. It is a combination
of genetic and epigenetic factors that allow male and females to express their
differential behavior. Although these gender differences do not show a change
in intelligence, it does affect behavior and the way we deal with emotions.
Perhaps we need to analyze the Way we teach our children at school or how we
deal with gender at our work place. You must remember that emotions are a powerful
tool; it allows our brain to pay attention and enhance our memory. Men process
the information differently than women.

We need to learn how to harness the power of emotions in both
sexes to their advantage so that we can actually close the gender gap. Remember
that our biggest enemy when dealing with sex differences is stereotyping. You
need to make a conscious effort to not fall into this cognitive bias.